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Eggplants came to Europe with the Arab colonialists of Spain. The first description of the culture was made 1000 years ago. Due to the difficulties of agricultural technology, the culture became widespread only in the 19th century. The plant is demanding on moisture and quality soil composition. In open ground, eggplant produces stable yields in regions with hot summers: southern Russia, southern regions of Western Siberia.
Characteristics of the Black Beauty variety
Ripening time | Early ripening (110 days from germination to ripeness)
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Growing areas | Ukraine, Moldova, southern Russia |
Purpose | Canning, pickling, home cooking |
Taste qualities | Excellent |
Commercial qualities | High |
Disease resistance | Tobacco and cucumber mosaic viruses, to spider mites |
Features of the fruit | High yield, long period of preservation of commercial qualities |
Color | Purple dark |
Form | Pear-shaped |
Pulp | Dense, light, with a pleasant taste, without bitterness |
Weight | 200–300 g, up to 1 kg |
Growing season | First leaf – ripening – 100-110 days |
Growing | Open ground, greenhouse |
Sowing seedlings | Early March |
Landing in the ground | First ten days of May (under film, greenhouse) |
Planting density | 70 cm between rows and 30 cm per row between plants |
Sowing depth | 1.5 cm |
Green manure | melons, legumes, root vegetables |
Bush | Weekly watering, deep loosening, fertilizing |
Agricultural technology | Weekly watering, deep loosening, fertilizing |
Productivity | 5–7 kg/m2 |
Peculiarities of eggplant cultivation
The plant’s demands on the composition of the soil, climate, and growing conditions frighten novice gardeners and disappoint them in their ability to obtain a high yield corresponding to the investment of effort and care. Sharp contrasting daily fluctuations in air temperature cause the plant to lose color and ovaries.
The optimal temperature for the development of an eggplant bush is 25–30 degrees during the day and at least 20 at night with a soil moisture of 80%. The culture is thermophilic: the temperature threshold for seed germination is 18–20 degrees. When the temperature drops to 15 degrees, the seeds will not begin to grow. A prolonged decrease in temperature (if the temperature is positive) leads to the death of the plant.
The plant requires good lighting. Shading inhibits the development of the crop, fruiting becomes incomplete: the fruits become smaller, the number on the bush decreases. The lack of sunlight during prolonged bad weather is compensated by artificial lighting. Thickened plantings of eggplants are not justified; they sharply reduce crop yields.
Like cucumber and pepper, eggplant for active vegetation requires breathable, fertilized soil with ample application of fertilizers, primarily organic matter, at the stage of soil preparation and during plant development. Eggplants are planted on one ridge with an interval of 3 years. Suitable precursors are legumes, onions, root vegetables, cucumbers, cabbage, melons, and cereals. The exception is nightshades.
Eggplant roots are delicate, damage caused by loosening the soil is restored slowly, which adversely affects the development of the plant and fruiting. Culture transplants are painful. When using the seedling method of growing plants, it is advisable to grow them in large-diameter peat pots or tablets so that the bulk of the roots are located inside the soil ball.
Preparing the soil for eggplants
The soil for planting eggplants is prepared in the fall. Humus and ripened spring compost are added generously. Norm – 1.5–2 buckets per 1 m2. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied directly before digging at the recommended average rate. The soil is dug up to a depth of 25–30 cm without destroying the soil clod.
In April, urea is added to the dried soil to stimulate growth. To evenly distribute the fertilizer onto the soil horizons accessible to the roots, harrowing is carried out. During the time preceding planting, fertilizers will acquire a form accessible for absorption by the roots and will be distributed evenly in the soil.
We suggest taking Black Beauty as the first variety to try your hand at mastering the technique of cultivating eggplants. Not to be confused with Black Handsome, the names are similar, but the varieties are different. With careful care, Black Beauty will prove that even beginning gardeners can get a significant harvest of eggplants. The abundance of fruits is 200–300 g, among which giants up to 1 kg look out, on a ridge of 6–8 m2 will provide more than one family with winter supplies.
Seed preparation
It is preferable to purchase varietal seeds or take them from a familiar gardener who has been successfully growing Black Beauty for several years. We acquire seeds with a reserve: double culling will reduce the quantity. The quality of the seed material will determine the strength and vitality of the seedlings.
- We sort and remove small seeds - they will not produce strong plants;
- In the saline solution, by shaking, check the density and weight of the seeds. We discard those that pop up. We wash the Black Beauty seeds suitable for planting with running water and dry them.
Long before sowing eggplant seedlings, we test the seeds for germination. We germinate a dozen seeds in a damp cloth or paper napkin. The seeds will hatch within 5–7 days. The test accuracy reaches 100%. We know exactly what percentage of seeds will not germinate. We will not be left without seedlings with a reserve for an unforeseen event.
Sowing efforts with soil and eggplant seedlings
The seeds are pickled with potassium permanganate at the rate of 1 g per 10 ml of water in order to destroy completely pathogenic microflora that survived after salt treatment.
The soil for Black Beauty eggplant seedlings consists of equal parts of compost and manure soil for forcing vegetable seedlings. Plants should not fatten; the roots need to create comfortable conditions for development. A day before planting dry or sprouted seeds, the mixed substrate is spilled with boiling water. This destroys pathogenic microflora, larvae and ovipositors of insects that can eat roots.
In order not to damage the roots when picking and replanting to a permanent place, Black Beauty eggplant seeds are planted in peat pots (as in the photo) or peat tablets of the maximum size. Nothing should restrict root growth. And they must breathe freely. Seed germination occurs at a temperature of 25–30 degrees, and seedling growth occurs at 20–25. Night temperature is at least 16–18 degrees.
A couple of weeks before planting, seedlings with 5 true leaves are limited in watering and hardened off. To prevent the stem from stretching, during the forcing period the pots with Black Beauty seedlings are turned 180 degrees every day. The development of seedling roots in the soil is visible when removed from the pot. They should look like in the photo.
It's time to plant eggplants at the dacha
It is advisable to plant plants without delay - this leads to a decrease in yield.
Returning cold is unlikely, but the plants are covered with reinforced polyethylene film at night until the heat remains stable.
The depth of the planting hole for Black Beauty eggplant seedlings is 8–10 cm, the root collar is buried 1–1.5 cm. The distance between plants is 25 cm, between rows is 70. Prepared seedlings give a gain in the time of receiving the first fruits in 3 weeks, the yield of the variety while higher.
Transplanting Black Beauty eggplant seedlings into open ground is carried out on a cloudy day or in the evening. The root soil is compacted, water-replenishing watering is plentiful - 2-3 buckets per m2. After 3 days, the plants that have not taken root are replaced with spare ones, and a second watering of the soil is carried out, equal in volume.
Planting eggplants:
Planting care
Watering is carried out once a week with the obligatory deep loosening of the dried soil up to 10 cm in order to improve root aeration. The responsiveness of Black Beauty eggplants to feeding is well known. Regular watering with a weekly infusion of mullein every 3-4 weeks is more effective than adding mineral fertilizers to the soil.
The first pear-shaped fruits of Black Beauty eggplants ripen 3.5 months after germination. The plant is branched, strong, 45–60 cm high.The fruits are harvested at a weight of 200–300 g. Fruiting continues until the daytime temperature under the film or in the greenhouse drops to 15 degrees. Estimate the size of the fruit in the photo in comparison with the palm.
